


A Touch of Silver

by Kokoai



Category: Tales of Zestiria
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-15
Updated: 2016-09-15
Packaged: 2018-08-15 05:24:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,432
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8044111
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kokoai/pseuds/Kokoai
Summary: While searching for remaining mutant Hellions, Sorey encounters another domain that blocks his resonance. Except this time it lasts much longer.





	A Touch of Silver

Traversing the Northern region of Pearloats Pasture had proven a challenge. Rose had stayed in Pendrago in hopes of gathering information on more mutant hellions. Meanwhile, Sorey was searching for ruins that supposedly had one. Sorey fell against a tree with a large huff, regretting taking Rose’s company for granted. Rose had been with them for so long that Sorey forgot how much harder fighting without her was. As the other Seraphim settled down around their Shepard, Lailah reminded everyone to keep their guards up even when resting. Only moments after her statement, Sorey was snoring. Edna sighed, ready to poke him with her umbrella. Mikleo blocked with his staff. Lailah agreed with him that he needed rest, and between four Seraphim he could safely sleep for a while.

“Something seems off though.” Zaveid commented. Arms crossed over his chest as he gazed over the grasslands.

“In the wind?” Lailah asked.

“It’s in the earth too. Feels grimey.” Edna chimed. Lailah followed Zaveid’s gaze. Nothing else was said until hours later when Sorey awoke. He yawned incoherent words.

“Sorey, let’s head back to Pendrago and see what Rose has found.” Mikleo commented. Sorey, amidst rubbing the sleep from his eyes, hummed in agreeing. Sorey had a slow pace, leaving him behind the Seraphim, but only by a few feet.

Having traveled only a fraction of the way back, Sorey collapsed, a twisting in his stomach. Day had become night, and his friends were nowhere in sight. Frantically, he called for each of them, but to no avail. Struggling to his feet, he realized a domain had enveloped them. His mind jumped to Heldalf, but this felt different. Still intimidating and he knew he needed to get out. But where had the others gone? After still not seeing them, he figured they’d retreated inside him, and so he hurriedly ran towards Pendrago. With each step he pushed his worry down. His fear attracted nearly every hellion along the way. Seven hellions in total by the time he reached Pendrago’s Northern gate, and not once had he seen a Seraph. As he caught his breath, he realized that none of the hellions looked normal. They’d all looked like regular animals, although unusually aggressive. On top of that, he hadn’t used the flames of purification. All he’d done was knock each hellion away.

He shook his head as he entered the city. He was just tired and the domain had messed with him. That was all. Rose would surely have some leads, they’d rest up and be on their way in the morning. Now, where would Rose be? Sorey ventured the inn would be a good start. If she had found anything surely she’d wait for him there. He’d bet everyone else was with her too. His thoughts went silent as he strolled down the familiar streets that didn’t feel the same. Was it numbness he felt? He couldn’t tell, but he felt no malevolence, nor did he see any lingering seraphim. As he grew closer to the in, his thoughts started racing. What had the domain done to him? Had he left his friends there— no, they couldn’t be too far from him— but where had they gone? He couldn’t sense any of them. Not even Mikleo.

“Heya Shepard.” Rose greeted as he stepped into the inn. He lit up at the sight of her and rushed to the seat next to her. 

“Hey, find anything?” He questioned, accepting a drink she slid.

“Eh, a couple maybe leads, but nothing concrete. How ‘bout those ruins?”

“No luck. Those hellions are tough.” He took a slow drink as she hummed, her attention floating across the table. She nearly choked on her drink.

“Shit, what’s this about a domain?” Rose questioned between coughs. Sorey froze. He hadn’t gotten to that yet, so how did she know?

“Oh, so the others have been here?” He beamed. His hopes started to rise, only to be crushed when her brows furrowed.

“Huh? Dude they’re sitting right there.” Sorey’s eyes followed her waving hand, seeing nothing but empty chairs. His heart stopped. He looked between her and the chairs multiple times before uttering a word.

“You’re… joking right?” He swallowed hard. Rose had gone silent, unnerving Sorey even worse.

Rose quickly finished her drink and urged Sorey to follow her back to her room. An itch ran under his skin; never had he been this uncomfortable and worried just from walking down hallways. Hallways that felt dark and empty. Rose kept mumbling just low enough that he couldn’t make anything out, but her head kept turning to each side despite her best efforts.  
She fumbled with unlocking the door, but once in she headed straight for the bed. Sorey stood awkwardly at the door, unable to decide where to go. She motioned for him to take a chair that had suddenly scooted across the floor. His stomach twisted in intricate knots as he sat down. Chairs couldn’t move on their own and books certainly couldn’t float. Rose had seen him notice the book. Realization struck, but neither of them could find a word. Rose kept making sounds, attempting sentences that fractured and fell to silence. Finally, Sorey silenced his mind and focused on one thing at a time.

“Are they all here?” His voice was low and he cringed at his own breaking voice. She nodded, then waited a few seconds.  
“Lailah is here,” she pointed to her left “Edna is on the other bed, Zaveid is on the desk, and Mikleo is holding the book.” Sorey jumped to the book that was flipping it’s own pages, and he swore someone had stabbed him through the chest. She looked back to him briefly before her eyes fell to her side.  
“She thinks you just got rattled by that domain since you were already tired out.” Sorey breathed some relief. His exact thoughts, and if Lailah was thinking the same then it had to be right. It’d be like his first encounter with Heldalf’s domain. He just needed to sleep it off; let his natural Shepard powers handle things. He excused himself to his room, and questioned Rose as to where the seraphim were staying tonight; all of which except for one stayed with Rose.

Sorey slumped onto the bed, face buried in his hands. His own trembling was impossible to ignore. Looking up, he hoped to see Mikleo sitting next to him, but he still saw an empty room. Though there was a book next to him that hadn’t been there before. He set one hand atop it.  
“Man this really sucks.” He sighed. Silence rang in his ears. No matter how much he spoke, he wouldn’t hear anything back. He knew this, but he couldn’t just stop talking. He settled for picking up the book, holding it in his lap in the way he always did when Mikleo wanted to read the same book. Flipping through those pages lasted well into the night. Sorey likely wouldn’t have stopped till sunrise if the book hadn’t closed itself. He sighed deeply as he removed his cloak and curled under the blankets.  
  
____________________________  
A week had passed since Sorey had returned to Pendrago. A week of him hardly sleeping; every sound waking him in hopes of it being a Seraph. A week that had taught him most every face in town. A week he had combed through nearly every book in town. All his hopes of bringing his resonance back quickly had faded. How long this would continue was anyone's guess. Rose could only play messenger so much, leaving Sorey adjusting to his friends writing responses. She wasn’t handling this well either. She struggled with finding ways to help Sorey feel better. He wasn’t receptive to much though.

 _You ok?_   Sorey hadn't noticed his own silence. Each day of not seeing his friends weighed down on him even more. Seeing Rose exhaust herself trying to help him was even worse.

"It's just weird. I don't think I could ever get used to this. Definitely not with you." _It’s only temporary._

"I know. But it still sucks. Plus who knows how long this will last." _Sorey..._ They had both stayed optimistic, but Sorey felt that fading.

"It's fine Mikleo. I think I need some fresh air. You coming?" _Yeah._

Sorey walked slowly through the empty night time streets. He stopped, perching on a half wall to admire the moon. His hand ran across the stone, wanting desperately to feel Mikleo. Knowing he was there did nothing to alleviate the loneliness, in actuality, it only worsened it. He couldn’t even sense Mikleo, just had the blind knowledge he was there. Sorey thought about Alisha, but realized that this was all she'd known. That this was how most humans lived. He doubted any human knew his pain. How could they? Abruptly losing your ability to see and hear those closest to you, including your childhood best friend? What would Elysia be like to him now?  
A rock hitting his shoulder pulled him out of his mind and he realized how far the moon had dropped. He opted to head back to the inn and get much needed rest.  
__________________________

"This is crap!" Rose exclaimed, startling Sorey. His dark eyes crawled over to her.

"A month. The friggin' Shepard of all people hasn't seen a seraph in a month!" Rose went silent, and Sorey could imagine Lailah chiding her. Before Rose could get another word out, the door cracked against the wall. A plant had been thrown at Sorey, who barely caught it.

"Ugh, Edna says to make tea or something out of that." Examining the herb left Sorey clueless as to how best to do that. He only vaguely recognized the blue herb as something that supposedly could boost a person’s resonance. Then a book was thrown at him. Reading the title, he smiled towards the door before running off to the inn's kitchen.

He coughed as some of the grinded herb flew straight down his throat. Cooking this was a time sensitive endeavor. Too little and the toxins wouldn’t be boiled out; too much and he’d burn out the boosting elements. An hour later he had a single cup of tea that smelled like ash swimming in honey. He double checked the book; ash and honey scent plus an indigo color meant an ideal brew. Heading back to his room, cup in hand, his heart pounded. I'll be able to see Mikleo and the others again!  
He found a note lying on the bed. He prioritized setting the cup down before reading the note. Lailah and the others had gone out in search of other potential ways to bring his sense back. Rose would be outside nearby chatting up merchants in hopes of procuring other concoctions. He reached back for the cup, and downed it in one go. Shivering at the foul taste, he nearly broke the cup. With the aftertaste wearing off, he settled into bed. If the book was right, he’d be out anywhere from a few minutes to a few hours.

Sunlight warmed his face, causing him to stir and awaken. Good, it was still daylight. His eyes fluttered open and caught sight of green-silver hair and turqoise eyes.  
“Lailah!” He exclaimed, tumbling to the floor. His legs refused to hold his weight.

“Careful Sorey! You’ve been out for four days.” She rushed to his side before pausing to realize he’d seen her, and that she was touching him.

"Shepard's got his game back." Zaveid chuckled. Lailah clapped her hands together.

"I missed being able to do this."

"Ow!" Sorey yelped when Edna's umbrella poked between ribs. He still smiled at her though.

"He'll yeah! Good call Lailah." Rose hollered.

"Oh don't thank me. Edna knew about the herb." Lailah replied. Sorey turned to the Earth seraph, a sparkle in his eyes.

"Thank you Edna. But uh, where's..." Sorey still hadn't seen one person. Faces fell, eyes jumping around.

"Mickey boy is holed up in some ruins." Zaveid spoke. None of them wanted to say anything, but that didn’t stop his insisting. Reluctantly, Lailah gave the location and Sorey was off before he could question their behavior.

Finding the ruins had been tricky as the entrance had be concealed with seraphic artes and his newly restored resonance wasn’t quite back to what he was used to. The door was already open, convincing him he had the right place.  
Sorey stumbled through the ruins, tripping over obvious traps. A few holes had opened up that he’d nearly fallen down.

"Mikleo!" His voice echoed. He kept calling as he proceeded deeper into the turquoise and gold ruins. The halls wrapped in mysterious was, feeling like an ever changing maze. Once he found Mikleo they'd have a heyday with these inscriptions covering every wall. Presumably, they held clues to navigating this maze. He wanted to discover these secrets with Mikleo though and ignored the walls.

With a stumbling step through a dark doorway, Sorey landed in a large, multi leveled square room. Multiple torches where alit, but the water itself had a faint glow. Or maybe that was the stones lining the waterways. Waterfalls flowed into shimmering holes. Pathways wide enough for a mouse linked each waterfall. The sound of flowing water. This scent was new to him; floral yet fruity. Erected in the room’s center was an crumbling alter of some sort. One that Sorey couldn't wait to investigate. However, he circled behind it to find an upwards staircase.

"Mikleo!" He hollered as he ascended. A sound echoed back. He ran up the rest of the stairs and caught a glimpse of silver.

"Mikleo." Excitement colored his tone. This room was dark, only lit by dim torches.

"Why... why is he here..." Sorey barely heard the mumbling. Rounding a corner, he found his water seraph, back facing him.

"Mikleo..." He couldn’t figure this ominous energy he felt. He swore it was Mikleo.

"He can't even see me yet he's looking. Idiot." Sorey had barely parted his lips when a torch light reflecting off water hit Mikleo's neck at the perfect angle to cause white iridescent scales to shimmer. Sorey froze, and rubbed his eyes. It was just a trick of light. He called out his friend’s name once more. This caused the Seraph to spin around with a snarl. Sorey gasped. Black slits split violet irises. Scaled patches sat on his forehead, cheeks, and smashed snout. Pointed teeth gleamed in the light as he grumbled.

"Would you just leave!" Sorey went silent, earning a cocked head from Mikleo.

"Mikleo... I'm sorry." Sorey let his head fall. He'd been so focused with getting his resonance back that he hadn't kept tabs on Mikleo's health. He hadn’t even questioned his sudden disappearance and lack of notes. He’d just assumed Mikleo was doing his own searching.

"Why are you talking like you can see me!" Violets were beginning to well up. Sorey took a half step before bringing a hand up to graze over a scaled cheek. Mikleo's breath hitched as his eyes widened.

"No. No. No. This cant... I'm..." He let out a growl as his staff materialized in a clawed hand. A barrage of water came at Sorey, who barely managed to dodge.

Relentless attacks kept Sorey dancing around the room. This wasn’t like when they sparred. Far more energy was going into each arte. Not to mention how much more skilled at casting Mikleo had become since they left home. He'd continued dodging each attack. Dodging with too much ease.  
He stopped dead in his tracks and braced. The force of a Twin Flow to the chest knocked him back to the staircase. He coughed, red spatters decorating the stones below him. He knew that would hurt, but oh how much he’d underestimated it. Mikleo let out a distressed howl as he froze a tidal wave. Sorey smirked as he stood. Low growls rang out as Mikleo debated whether to let go of the frozen wave.

"I know you're still Mikleo. We can fix this. Just trust me." Sorey pleaded, sword loosely in hand as he slowly approached. The wave shattered and ice rushed towards him, shards cutting his flesh like hundreds of paper cuts. Sorey braced for the oncoming wave, attempting to diffuse as much of it as he could. He’d slid back closer to the staircase. Mikleo was waving his staff around, summoning numerous ice pillars. Sorey slashed at each pillar, sending a crawling trail of blue flames towards them. As each melted, Sorey kept his eyes peeled for movement. He spun around at a sound behind him, and caught both sets of claws. Blood trickled down his arms, but he felt nothing. Sorey took in Mikleo’s more pronounced snout and desperate eyes. He smiled before releasing the sets of claws and latching his arms around Mikleo’s slim waist. Sharp pain ran through his back as he enveloped both of them in blue flames. Cries rang out, leading to him only gripping tighter. Holding the flailing Seraph was hard, but he couldn’t let go.

“Mikleo…Please…” He whispered against the other. As the flames dissapated, Sorey braced for everthing. Low growls still floating. He jumped slightly at the feel of arms sliding around his neck. A head buried itself into his shoulder. Threading icy silver strands between his fingers, Sorey tightened his now one armed hold. Mikleo lifted his head just enough to see Sorey’s smile. His head fell, bangs covering his eyes. Sorey slid his hand down the back of Mikleo’s head, over his scaled neck, and placed a thumb under his silvery chin. Gently lifting, Sorey gazed into familiar violet for a second before leaning in to hold frozen lips against his. It was only fleeting, enough to communicate that he wasn't going anywhere. Mikleo sniffled as he clutched at Sorey's chest, icy pebbles rolling down Sorey’s arm. Sorey started to unwrap himself just as Mikleo briefly leaned in. The Seraph had stopped though, and Sorey smirked before instigating another kiss. This one lasted longer, but was nothing more than gentle. Fingers twitched against Sorey's chest. He took the cold hand in his before breaking the kiss, much to Mikleo's dismay.

"C'mon. Let's get back to the others." Sorey spoke lowly, words feeling foreign.

"But I--" Sorey stopped him with a large smile.

"They're not going to care. They'll just be happy to see you." Sorey reassured, solidifying his statement with a gentle squeeze to the hand in his.

"You're still an idiot for trying something that risky." His sniffle betrayed his snarky tone.

"Well once I know you were--"

"Idiot." Mikleo barked. Sorey rolled his eyes before attacking Mikleo’s sides. The few remaining patches of scales gave Sorey an extra challenge.

“N-not fair!” Mikleo cried, failing in his attempts to fight back. Sorey beamed as he agreed to stop if Mikleo would come back to the inn now. He didn’t want to agree, but he did for the sake of ceasing the onslaught. Mikleo gripped Sorey’s hand, running his thumb over the many callouses.

The walk back had been silent, Mikleo unsure of what to say and Sorey not feeling the need to speak. He let his continued hold on the other’s hand be his words. As they neared Pendrago, Mikleo tried to separate their hands, but Sorey refused. He couldn’t care less what people thought about the look of him holding air. Mikleo won once they reached the inn though. He stayed tucked behind Sorey as they walked through the halls. Sorey paused with his hand on the doorknob. Looking over his shoulder at Mikleo. Scales still remained on his cheeks, chin, and around his lips. Sorey ruffled his hair, trying to relax him as he slowly pushed the door open.

"Well what do you know. Our Shepard boy actually did it." Zaveid whistled.

"Now Zaveid, not just any Shepard could manage that." Lailah retorted.

"Pft. Meebo being a dragon? As if." Edna jabbed, hiding behind her umbrella.

"Screw you guys. Good to see you Mikleo." Rose boasted. Sorey looked back, beaming when he saw not only a smile, but scales receding. Mikleo hesitantly strode out from behind Sorey. As expected, concerned eyes hit the scales, but relief filled the room as the lessened more. Rose slammed a round of drinks onto the desk, claiming this was worthy of a party. Zaveid was always up for any occassion to consume alcohol. The unusual sight was seeing Edna joining in. Sorey wasn’t going to argue, nor would Mikleo.

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> So this is the first fic I've written in five years. I only recently played through Zestiria and while I love a lot about the game, I've also got so many problems with it. One of my biggest being the missed opportunities with Sorey's resonance being cut off. So many interesting plot elements that could have been done and the game did nothing. 
> 
> Anyway, while I adore Mikleo to death, I'm also enthralled with Dragon!Mikleo. And while this only had a super baby dragon, I might do a sort of sequel with full dragon later. Though I've another ToZ fic in the works that it's armatization smut.
> 
> Any comments or likes are appreciated as I'm super nervous about trying to get back into fanfiction writing.


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